Thursday, 24th July 2008
Marsascala parish priest threatens to cancel feast due to tourist-oriented event
A weekly music and dance activity intended to boost tourism in Marsascala has been postponed after the parish priest threatened to cancel this weekend's village feast if the activity is not called off this week, the Marsascala Shops Association said.
The association said parish priest Fr Martin Micallef contacted Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja to inform him of his stance and of his ultimatum shortly after becoming aware of the event. Fr Micallef maintained that throughout the week dedicated to the feast of St Anna only the Church and the Curia reserved the sole right to hold any sort of activities.
Association president Reuben Buttigieg said he attempted to contact Fr Micallef personally by telephone but to no avail, because Fr Micallef, according to Mr Buttigieg, was "not willing to listen to the association's stance". He even declined invitations by the association to meet to discuss the matter.
Mr Buttigieg said Fr Micallef's response was for the association to write to the Vicar General. The association delivered a letter by hand to the Vicar General, requesting the Church to reconsider its position. At the time the association issued its statement on the controversy it said it had received no reply.
Contacted by The Times, Fr Micallef said that the Curia's regulations were in place "to safeguard and protect the spirit of the village feasts".
"The regulations," Fr Micallef said, "are there to be observed" and the decision whether to respect them or not was in the hands of the Marsascala Shops Association.
Fr Micallef said he was more than willing to meet Mr Buttigieg to discuss the issue, adding that discussions would not eliminate the regulations and that "they are there for a reason".
Mr Buttigieg said the association did not understand how activities principally dealing with tourist events might in any way be related to the village feast. He believed that "tourist localities (such as Marsa-scala) should not be subject to Curia regulations with regard to activities and events which have nothing to do with the feast itself".
While expressing disappointment at the fact that a lot of work had been done in vain by both the association itself and the local council, apart from sponsorship money having to be returned, the association decided to postpone the event as it understood that the village feast was important to Marsa-scala residents.
When contacted, the Curia supported Fr Micallef's stance, saying that the parish priest acted "according to the norms issued by the Curia in 2002 and repeated in 2004". While "the Church has no authority to hinder anybody from obtaining a civil permit and organise an activity during this particular week", cancelling the village feast was within the rights of the parish priest.
"The norms," the Curia explained, "were issued after a lot of thought and consultation," which, it added, have "proved to be beneficial".
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Please note that places names as suggested by traffic signs are not peer reviewed. One should refer to academic studies such as those by Professor Guze Aquilina, who provides a correct list of placenames in his Maltese-English dictionary and those by Professor Godfrey Wettinger. Figure this out Ir-Ramla ta' Birzebbugia is now Il-Bajja s-Sabiha, a literal translation from English - Pretty Bay. Pity about the cranes and heavy industry though. And there is a whole confusion on Ta' l-Ibragg, Ibrag, Ibragg etc...
Well, never mind. Have a happy feast as well.
Dear Mr Borg. In the first instance you have mentioned party politics, which have nothing to do with the FEAST of SAINT ANNE. Hope that you understand my point. Yes, let us leave aside politics now and especially at this hour and enjoy our village Feast which only comes but once a year. I never mentioned the Marsascala Shop Association and the Shop Owners. What I have written is that I do not see why activities other than the ones held by the Parish Church (we have a week's full programme) and other activities can be held during the rest of the year. "Marsascala" is written like this with a "C" when writing in English, while the Maltese word is "Marsaskala" (notice the "K"). We have a local Council which is named MARSASCALA LOCAL COUNCIL and not WIED IL-GHAJN LOCAL COUNCIL. In that case I suggest that you will contact the Local Council to check the name. You may also notice Marsascala traffic signs in many parts of Wied il-Ghajn. Referring to postal addresses, Wied il-Ghajn is not recognised by the Maltapost, but Marsascala or Marsaskala. I don't know if you are at Wied il-Ghajn resident or else.
Maybe you weren't born and bred in Marsascala, like myself. Residents who grew up in this village always refer to it as Wied il-Ghajn and never Marsascala. The latter was generally used by foreigners, who couldn't grasp the former and Maltese who spent their summer months here. Imagine that I decide to go to Valletta and start calling them Vallettjani, and not Beltin, simply because I decide so. How ludicrous can we get?
What do you mean by stating that we should leave politics to the politicians? Wrong again, politics is the practice of responding to conflict with dialogue. If you meant party politics, then please illuminate me with the projects that these governments have do to alleviate Marsascala. At least the Labour government brought the drainage system, constructed the 2km promenade from Zonqor to Il-Ponta tal-Gzira, facilitated the opening of the Jerma Palace Hotel in 1982 and the National Swimming Pool at Zonqor a few months later. Today the Jerma Palace is closed, the National Pool is in a sad state and the powerwashing through secondary water of our promenades withdrawn by the Goverment. These are some reasons why the business community is angry. Meanwhile, Happy Feast.
Mr Borg is totally incorrect to point out his finger when he insinuated that the "repetitive nationalist government...etc". May I bring to Mr Borg's attention that other governments (long time ago, since they have never been elected for many years), never bothered to care about the south in particular to our lovely MARSASCALA. Again, let us leave politics to the politicians. As regards the word ""SKALIN", I would suggest to LOOK BEFORE HE LEAPS. Maybe, my friend Steve, who is my neighbour, (since he lives in Marsascala), would find someone to persuade him that the word "SKALIN" does really exist. Wish Mr Borg too a very Happy and Blessed Feast. AU REVOIR FR MARTIN AND THANKS FOR ALL YOUR DEDICATIONS TO THE PARISHIONERS!
And of course, we have to see whether all that takes place WITHIN the church is sacred or whether we ourselves are guilty of PROFANITY. And yes, indeed, there is profanity taking place, in my opinion.
Consider all that clapping and semi-adoration of what is nothing but a statue!
Consider all the new glittering and new, expensive decorations and paraphernalia taking place, the new vestments, the new church ornaments which are worth a lot of money; all this in contrast with the poverty that people are going through, perhaps locally but hey, in Africa, Latin America and even in Europe!!!!
There is so much to say ... I need not go on.
BUT ... all that having been said ... come on, folks, let us encourage our young priests and parish priests, who are dedicating their lives to help their neighbours in difficulties. Many of them go out of their way to help people, and parish priests have such a tremendous responsibility. I think that sometimes we fail to see the good that these fellow Maltese do.
It seems that few have any idea of what it means to the locals or what its all about. There is a whole week of activities and they do have a meaning for most of the locals (probably for those who are not business owners there - but then again one cannot generalise because many of the business owners there get their 'business' from the locals and there is no need to attract more)
I agree that festivals as proposed should and can take place - But from all times it could have been organised - it had to be 'the week of the festa'?
I think this article should be read in the particular context of Marsaskala and it seems that most are extending this argument to another perhaps 'favourite' debate of church vs 'who is it?'.
This is an organised effort on the part of Parish Priests, together with the Archbishop, to try and instil a better spiritual environment around the village Festa - in itself, this should be praised by one and all.
Now, whether this procedure is such a priority for the exercise of strengthening the village festas, is another matter, but again, it is out of Martin's hands. Rather than starting with this kind of regulation, the Church should have first cleaned out the very activities of the parishes during festa week. In other words, I, personally, would have preferred an activity involving a local celebrity-of-sorts, which has absolutely no links with the festa, than having marcijiet brijuzi organised by the band-clubs (I am not referring to M'Scala!) I speak my mind: if you go to Hamrun for the St Cajetan's feast, you will understand exactly what I mean, and this is the reality in nearly every festa in our villages. Much of what takes place is DISGUSTING AND REVOLTING; A FAR CRY FROM WHAT A FESTA SHOULD BE ALL ABOUT. I don't need to give examples - the Maltese reader knows what I am referring to.
Fr Martin, as parish priest, is merely putting into practice the regulations of the Curia, in its stance to try and regulate parish (as against village) feasts. In other words, the Curia attempts to bring the feasts back under the control of the Church. In this context, Fr Martin has no alternative but to follow the regulations, which are above him.
It appears that the Curia does not allow events other than the ones which are organised by the Parish, during the Festa week.
Now, some correspondents claimed that Fr Martin is bluffing, that he is threatening, etc ... Well, the regulations are there for all: he is not threatening at all. Following Curia instructions, I surmise that Fr Martin has made it clear - you have a right to organise outside events during festa time, but I have the right to cancel the feast, if need be. That is not threatening or bluffing - believe me, he would do it. You see, he has no alternative.
End of 1/2.
Is this the new state of the art consultation attitude that we have learnt after 17 years of deceit, and arrogance. The Parish Priest has to threaten to get anywhere. Top marks to this priest to stand up to rampant arrogance on our Island.
Ser insiru bhall barra. Mhux hekk - hee hee hee!
I also wish that the Church and other authorities clamp down on the discos normally held during the week before the local feast which have absolutely nothing to do with the feast.
They only serve to irritate the neighbours with ear-shattering music!?!?! till the early hours of the morning, massive alcohol abuse by youths, the trading of insults and fights with members of the other band club in the locality and blaspheming by drunk and not so drunk youths.
All this in the name of the Saint whose feast they are supposed to be celebrating.
Even the take-away kiosks and those selling totally unrelated items such as toys should be taken away to the outskirts of the town because it is most irritating to see the procession with the statue of the Saint or our Lady or Lord etc amidst the baccanalian and pagan feast going around it when it is supposed to be a devout procession of penance and prayer even though it is a celabration in honour of the Saint, Our Lady or Our Lord.
Isn't threatening to cancel the village festa 'hindering' somebody? (again 'blackmailing' would perhaps be a better word and - strangely - the Curia in stunning contrast to its 'no authority to hinder' statement condones and insists on the right to cancel and, by extension, use threats to cancel to obtain what it wants.
I can't help feeling that this kind of thinking is more Taliban-inspired than Christ-inspired.
Well Done Nestor!
Why doesn't the church cancel its activities for once, and for one year let someone else enjoy himself, maybe with less noise pollution. Where is the equality?
And if you want tourists to come to the area, its the bus service which need to be improved first and foremost. I know tourists who like Marsaskala because it is 'less touristic' and more 'Maltese' - before events like these are organised (which I know are good and a lot of work goes into then) first one should understand the culture of the locality and not impose.
What? Since when does the church own Marsascala and everything and everyone inside it? First we get a Msida band club demanding to keep a vital arterial road closed for its fireworks, now we have this parish priest demanding that no activities of any kind take place in an entire city without his approval. Please someone put this troglodyte in a padded cell. Or better still, call his bluff. Let him keep his church door locked and then see whether anyone even notices.
I fully agree with Fr.Martin on this subject.........if the event being held during the village feast by the Marsacala Shops Association , it will be a commercial event.
Maybe someone should remind Fr Micallef that his job is to unify and not to cause friction and issues. I
Imbasta qassis!! Vera ezempju tajjeb!!